Not Fair
by DisturbingBunnyRabbit
Summary: Rome leaves to be with Veneziano in his final days and leaves Romano behind. Family angst, one swear word.


**A.N.)** It's always bothered me that Rome never gets called out on abandoning Romano. Of course, I'm not saying Rome is evil, or that he didn't care for Romano at all, he just wasn't the right sort of person to deal with Romano and wasn't very good at not showing favoritism. So here is how I think the two would have interacted, with a lot of misunderstanding on Rome's part, and a lot of jealousy and hurt on Romano's. Please review, and tell me what you think of my portrayal of their relationship.

**Masochist's Challenge:** Read this while listening to "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson.

**French Translation:** Prusse was kind enough to translate this story into French! Sorry I don't have a link, but you can look up "Prusse" using Fanfiction's "Find" page.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hetalia, or this issue would have been addressed in canon.

* * *

"Nonno! Nonno!" The small Italian called, attempting to capture his Grandfather's attention.

"Oh, hello there, Romano" Rome replied with a smile. "Just look at what your younger brother drew for me! Isn't he talented?" He exclaimed, pulling out an exceptionally well drawn picture of a rabbit. Romano examined the drawing and felt his heart sink. He too had drawn a picture for his grandfather, but he couldn't show it to him now. Not after he saw that. It was so unfair. Instead of praising the work, Romano scowled and said,

"It's not that great." Rome frowned at his eldest grandchild. Why was he always so negative? He was the exact opposite of his brother, Veneziano.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Romano. Your brother worked very hard on this, and did a good job. You should learn to be more kind, like him." Romano's scowl deepened. Why was he _always_ being compared to his brother? He was the older one; it should be the other way around!

"Whatever," he muttered. "Nonno, I want to go to the pond," he said suddenly. Rome chuckled a bit at the small boy's sudden change of topic.

"Alright," he replied. He was going to scoop the child into his arms, but Romano grabbed his hand instead, and took off towards the small pond that was just a bit away from their usual meeting place, a villa of Rome's in the heart of what would be southern Italy. Romano pulled at his hand eagerly. Maybe he couldn't draw well, like his brother, but his Nonno was sure to be impressed with what he had to show him, right?

When they arrived at the pond, Rome had to stop a minute to catch his breath. Darned Germanic invasions were doing a number on him. He knew it wouldn't be long before the west fell; heck, even his boss had moved east. He was worried about Veneziano; Romano always seemed fairly independent, but sweet little Veneziano was so attached to him, and he was still so young… With his health continuing to fail, Rome didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

His musings were interrupted by an impatient tug on his still occupied hand. Turning towards his eldest grandson, his eyes followed to where Romano was pointing. There, by the side of the pond was… nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway; just some wild pond weeds that had sprouted blossoms.

"Um, what am supposed to be seeing, Roma?" Questioned Rome. Romano frowned again. How could he not see it? Romano had worked hard tending to his makeshift Garden, and now the plants were in full bloom before them.

"The flowers, Nonno, my garden," Romano explained impatiently. Rome blinked a few times before realization dawned in his eyes. Trying to stifle a smile, he said,

"Ah, Romano, that's not a garden. It's just some pond weeds." Romano stood there shocked by the injustice of the callous statement. It was so a garden! They might have already been growing there, but Romano had taken care to pull out the small and sickly ones, as well as only allowing the kind that grew flowers to reside in that area. He had even set stones around it and everything! Romano felt his eyes begin to hurt as the pressure of unshed tears built behind them. It was so unfair! In an attempt to keep his grandpa from seeing him cry, he raced back to the villa as quickly as his short legs could take him, ignoring Rome's calls after him.

The next morning, shortly after a tense breakfast, Rome announced his departure. "I'll be leaving by noon, Romano." Rome studied his grandson carefully for a reaction. Romano sat there, not moving or speaking, an unreadable expression on his face. Rome sighed. Really, he hadn't expected much else. This was Romano, after all, not his Feli.

Romano sat momentarily stunned by the suddenness of the statement. Why did he have to go so soon? It seemed like his Nonno's visits got shorter and less frequent every time. He started when he heard Rome let out a sigh. Looking up, he watched as the Empire rose from his chair and began walking from the table.

"Nonno. Nonno! Hey, bastard!" That got his attention. Acting out always got Rome's attention. It seemed like the only way Romano ever _could _get his grandfather's attention.

"What is it?" Rome replied shortly. He was irritated at his grandson's disrespectful vocabulary, but he ignored it. He had tried disciplining the boy before, and nothing seemed to make him behave. Perhaps he was rude by nature. Not like his adorable little brother at all…

"Where are you going? It's not noon yet." Romano could almost hear the silent plea in his statement, and he hoped Rome would not. He didn't, of course. He never did.

"I'm going to pack, it's already late morning and I'll be taking quite a lot with me this time." Rome replied with slight exasperation.

"…why are you taking a lot of stuff?"

Rome froze. He hadn't meant to have to explain until it was time to leave, and he could make a quick getaway so he wouldn't have to deal with Romano's reaction. "Umm, well… you see, I won't be coming back this time."

Now it was Romano's turn to freeze. "What do you mean, you won't be coming back?" Romano was impressed that he said that calmly, but he figured it was mostly due to shock. Or perhaps disbelief. His Nonno wouldn't really leave him, would he?

Rome rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, averting his eyes. "Well, I'll be taking your brother away for awhile, traveling with him, teaching him some things. And after that…I don't think I'll be around much longer, to tell you the truth."

Romano stared at Rome, uncomprehending. His Nonno was abandoning him? He was taking Veneziano? He was never coming back? Romano felt a pang of jealously shoot through him, as a wave of hurt crashed down on his small frame. He wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted to beg his Nonno not to go, but the weight of the wave pressed down on him. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, he could only sit there and look at his grandfather. His Grandfather who was leaving him. It wasn't fair.

"Um, don't feel bad, Romano. I'm leaving my inheritance to you," Rome said in an attempt to chase away the dull, empty expression that hadn't left his grandson's face. Feeling awkward when Romano continued to silently stare at him, Rome cleared his throat once before continuing on to his chambers to begin packing.

When the time came for Rome to leave, he paused and waited to bid a final farewell to his heir. He waited a good ten minutes, and still, Romano didn't appear. Sighing, Rome turned and waved a careless goodbye to the servants who had been helping him load his possessions for his journey.

Romano watched quietly from behind a nearby bush, burning the image of his grandfather into his mind. Burning it in, so he'd remember him subconsciously, even as his conscious mind spent all his energy on forgetting the traitorous man. He wanted again to beg his Nonno not to leave, or to at least take him with him. He didn't want to be alone! But he couldn't. He was too afraid. Too afraid the answer would be "no". So instead, he watched as the only source of safety and affection he had ever known walked away from him. Out of his life. For good. It wasn't fair.


End file.
